PocoPoco – The Motorized Controller

Revealed earlier this month at the SIGGRAPH Conference in Vancouver, the flashy PocoPoco musical interface seems poised to bring a new level of tactile control to controllers. We reached out to one of the device’s designers, Takaharu Kanai from the IDEAA Lab team at Tokyo Metropolitan University, to get exclusive details on the device.

The PocoPoco seen in the above demo video is being used to control multiple parameters as a variation on a classic sequencer setup that you often times see with a Monome, or even a Midi Fighter, as seen in this clip. The mapping display in the video is much more powerful than a typical sequence setup – especially considering the possibilities for turning and tweaking actions to act as an aftertouch effect.

The design of the device itself looks very similar to a certain product that DJTT produces, in a four by four grid of buttons with color-changing LED’s under each of them. Being a supernaturally inquisitive bunch, we decided that we needed to know more about this device, what’s driving it, how it feels, and what the possibilities are. We got in touch with the IDEAA Lab team to find out more.

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How much do you think the PocoPoco would cost to produce commercially?
The PocoPoco that we exhibited is [a] prototype, but we guess it [would] cost about 1000 dollars.

What software are the units controlling in the demo videos? Our guess here at the DJTT office is either Ableton or a MaxMSP program.
The units are controlling Logic. PocoPoco sends MIDI messages to logic, [and] in addition, we are using MaxMSP to send only the MIDI messages to synchronize each PocoPoco.

What kind of data are they sending?
They send MIDI signal to [a] PC over USB-MIDI drivers. We can assign their actions (pushing, holding, and rotating) to various functions.How reliable are the servos that drive the buttons up and down? Is there any concern about them failing under prolonged use?
We are using the original “solenoid actuator” instead of other motors. It can move smoothly and quickly. If we continue to pass an electrical current through the solenoid, the button is kept up. However, in this circuit design the transistor is broken by the long-term current. So, we only use the short term pop-up.

Anything else to know on how the buttons move up and down and feel? Our units consist of “moving units” and a “base unit”. The moving units have a neodymium magnet in its bottom. The base unit has a solenoid and a aluminum pipe that goes into the moving units. Using the aluminum pipe, the motion of the moving unit is kept in uniform motion because of their magnetic properties. It feels nice!

How much power does the PocoPoco require? It requires DC 12V powered by [an] AC adapter. It draws a max of 60 watts.

Author’s Edit: I received a few answers to some of my follow-up questions – see below:

Is the up/down state of the servos midi-controllable, or is that reactive to a different action or the LED states?
A user can control MIDI messages by pushing, catching, and turning each moving unit.
PocoPoco sends individual Control Change messages corresponding to each unit’s height and rotation. A user can assign these CC messages as he likes (volume, filter, pitch bend and etc…). In the movie of the performance at SIGGRAPH, players change the EQ parameter by rotating the green unit in the corner.

Regarding the LED state, the white light indicates time line of the music sequencer and other color lights indicate kind of the instrument that user playing or state of device. A user can choose and change 16 instruments.

Are there any plans to move towards selling this device on a larger scale?
In the future, we would like to sell on a larger scale with more fun function. However we are at experimental stage yet, so we don’t have clear plan.For more information on the PocoPoco, visit the official site.

I was kinda’ expecting this on the MIDIFighter 3D. Not the pop-up with solenoids part, but buttons with a twist option… knobs with a push-in option? Whichever. I like this idea, totally support now and interesting ideas and think it will work well for some people, but not me (at least right now)… you know, unless this is the new Native Instruments F1.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=889370654 David De Garie-Lamanque

when i first saw the 3 japanese guys performing, i thought…hey they’re imitating Kraftwerk…now wait…what’s that song they’re playing? hhmm..

it looks like an awesome new interface for controlling music

Anonymous

LMFAO. Not only a whac-a-mole, but grab-a-mole too.

It is intersting to watch, but for me, that is about as far as it goes.

scamo

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1137292039 Ronald Edwards

Whack, Grab and Twist a Mole!

Gowers

Please do a piece on the nike show music with hifana! I think it would be cool to have a more in depth interview about how it was all done, youtube video here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uS1exujG3cY if you are skeptical at all just watch the making of video. I wanna know more about it guys please!!!!

Gowers

Please do a piece on the nike show music with hifana! I think it would be cool to have a more in depth interview about how it was all done, youtube video here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uS1exujG3cY if you are skeptical at all just watch the making of video. I wanna know more about it guys please!!!!

It’s a musical instrument AND a space heater.
A sequencer that also makes tea.

Anonymous

It’s a musical instrument AND a space heater.
A sequencer that also makes tea.

DEAN

pretty average!!

DEAN

pretty average!!

FP

i was there at Siggraph Vancouver and got to see the instrument live…
the idea was great and all but truth be told, the controller was rather flimsy… not a button mash sorta instrument… and the, often funny, problem would be catching the knobs… not a consumer ready product but its getting there…

FP

i was there at Siggraph Vancouver and got to see the instrument live…
the idea was great and all but truth be told, the controller was rather flimsy… not a button mash sorta instrument… and the, often funny, problem would be catching the knobs… not a consumer ready product but its getting there…

proben

Really cool. Were they inspired by the midifighter or is is it coincidental? I guess a 4×4 grid of round things isn’t that unique when you think about it but daaaaamn that looks a lot like a midifighter

proben

Really cool. Were they inspired by the midifighter or is is it coincidental? I guess a 4×4 grid of round things isn’t that unique when you think about it but daaaaamn that looks a lot like a midifighter

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